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Jack the ripper historical essay
Jack the ripper historical essay
Jack the ripper historical essay
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Jack the Ripper One of the very first and most prolific serial killers was Jack the Ripper. For the past 127 years, he has held scholars and forensic scientists prisoner because of his anonymity and the graphic and demoralizing murders he committed. Jack the Ripper is considered significantly important because he set the foundation on how we understand and study serial killers and today his murders still stand as the longest unsolved cases in history. Jack the Ripper was the name of a man who lived in the east end of London who was suspected of killing over five prostitutes(Introduction to the Case). The name, Jack the Ripper, originated from a letter that the Central News Agency received on September 27th, 1888 that was believed …show more content…
Her body was also discovered in the early morning hours in Dutfield’s Yard (Harrison 67). Some believe that she wasn’t murdered by Jack the Ripper because her body wasn’t mutilated like the others. However, her throat was slashed with the same precision as that of the other prostitutes (Introduction to the Case Book). On the exact same night, another body was found in Mitre Square (Rubinstein). Catherine Eddowes, the fourth prostitute to be murdered, throat had been slashed exactly like the other girls and her abdomen was also ripped open. The Ripper also took her left kidney and a major portion of her uterus (Rubinstein). The last of the Canonical Five was Mary Jane Kelly. Her murder was the most severe and most gruesome of the five. She was found at Dorset Rd. lying face down in her bed dead (Harrison 76). Mary’s face was literally gone, her breasts were cut off, and her entire abdominal cavity was emptied including her heart (Introduction to the Case Book). Scholars and historians believe that she was the last of the Ripper’s victims because he either moved away, got sick and died, or got arrested for a smaller
Investigating Why the Police Were Unable to Catch Jack the Ripper I believe the most important reason why Jack the Ripper was so hard to catch was because of the lack of evidence. In those days they did not have as advanced technology as we have today for instance, we have forensics where we can tell from a strand of hair who that hair belongs to. In those days they were only just learning the significance of footprints to catching a villain. Another part to this is that Jack the Ripper was so random towards who he killed the police could not find a link between the murders except that they were all prostitutes, which did not really help, although prostitute murders were not terribly uncommon. The press coverage to the case didn’t help much as they had forced the police to investigate ‘Leather Apron’ and this wasted a significant amount of the police time which, if spent properly, may have allowed them to uncover more information needed to catch the Ripper.
Her body had been bathed and thoroughly washed before being placed, it was also completely drained of blood [2]. Two detectives were assigned to the case: Harry Hanson and Finis Brown. When they and the police arrived at the crime scene, it was already swarming with people, gawkers and reporters. The entire situation was out of hand and crowded, everyone trampling all over in hopes of good evidence. One thing they did report finding was a nearby cement block with watery blood on it, tire tracks and a heel print on the ground.
With hundreds of unsolved murders, many of them could be put to rest with the death of Ted Bundy. He will always be regarded as one of the most gruesome murders in history. Some of these murders including the Chi Omega and Leech murders could have been prevented had Ted not been such a witty criminal.
The five victims above are the ones that are attributed to Jack the Ripper. While there were other murders during this time period, they did not showcase the same modus operandi as the murders of Mary Jane Kelly, Catherine Eddowes, Annie Chapman, Mary Ann Nichols, and Elizabeth Stride. Though many scholars have conducted cases studies, even with modern forensics analysis of the case, we are no closer to closing the case on Jack the Ripper. Because of this anonymity, he remains one of the most infamous serial killers in history.
Another serial killer that we discussed was Theodore “Ted” Bundy. Bundy was also an American serial killer who confessed to the murder of 36 young women. However, investigators believe that he killed up to 100 or more women. He grew up in a nice working family. He did really well in school but didn’t have very good social skills. As a teenager he began peering in others’ windows and stealing things from
Taking the life of another person is one of the worst infractions of the law to commit. The Bureau of Justice defines serial killing as “[involving] the killing of several victims in three or more separate events” (“Michigan” 1). Serial killers often commit extremely violent crimes; they usually become infamous for these crimes. The first recorded serial killers are probably Jack the Ripper in 1888 and Fritz Haarmann in 1924 (“Michigan” 1). Jack the Ripper is also one of the most well-known criminals, almost everyone knows who he is or has at least heard of him. Most people know what he is famous for and associate him with being a bad person. Serial killers are typically sadistic and sociopathic, meaning that they are unable to feel empathy for people who are suffering (“Michigan” 1). Whimsical sociopaths who have sadistic tendencies are very dangerous. They inflict pain because they do not care that someone else is suffering, they only care that it makes t...
Murder is murder, or taking the life of another person. Repeatedly taking the life of other people is killing in a serial way. Serial killers are those individuals who repeatedly murder other people. There have been thousands of nameless serial killers, but none more famous than Jack the Ripper. The 1888 maliciousness of Jack the Ripper became one of the very first investigated, and most widely studied, serial murder cases, that established the protocols that are still used today to investigate these heinous crimes. The name Jack the Ripper has instilled fear in the public since 1888, and is a name that is synonymous with serial killing. Jack the Ripper set the bar by which all other serial killers are judged, studied, and
The Zodiac Killer is one of the most popular murders. The fact that made him so infamous was that The Zodiac Killer was never identified. The mysterious killer was never caught and jailed for his crimes. The FBI have looked for the killer for decades, but still, even to this day, could not find him. The whole mystery of the killer and the name of the killer has made him popular across the United States. The Zodiac Killer was a mysterious killer, and he had a very unique way of going about the murders.
As the killer was never truly found, the investigation turned into a historical research. It was so prominent that the research of Jack the Ripper became known as Ripperology. So whether the world will ever know the true identity of the killer of all killers, it will always be in study.
Attention Getter: Jeffrey Dahmer, The Zodiac Killer, Donald Henry Gaskins, Tsutomu Miyazaki, Ted Bundy, Jack the Ripper, Amelia Dyer, Jane Toppan, these are the names of some of the most notorious serial killers the world has ever come to see, and there are many more where that came from.
The most well known serial killer of the 1970’s; Ted Bundy. At least 29 Women dead at the hands of Ted Bundy.Ted Bundy began his killing spree in 1974. He would rape and kill women. Bundy has claimed to have killed 29 women, but it’s said that there could be more. It wasn’t until 1975 that he was caught. Ted Bundy outwit the police time and time again especially by looking like the guy next door. As a result of Ted Bundy serial killing, law enforcement has become smarter and better enforced.
“My consuming lust was to experience their bodies. I viewed them as objects, as strangers. It is hard for me to believe a human being could have done what I've done”(Dahmer). Jeffrey Dahmer is notably one of the most infamous serial killers in the United States. Along with seventeen murders under his belt, he was also a pedophile, cannibal and necrophiliac.
Serial killers have been around for decades but According To Jack Levin, 'seven of the ten largest mass killings in American history have taken place in the last decade (Douglas, p. 137). One of the most popular and well-known serial killers in history was Ted Bundy. He was convicted of killing three women but is suspected of killing thirty-six other women (Douglas, p. 137).
The Zodiac Killer in my opinion is one of the most mysterious killers that I can think of, and from a historic aspect is my favorite due to the killer never being caught. One reason that makes the killer mysterious to myself is their sudden stoppage of killing people, and the stoppage of taunting law enforcement by using the local media., and like previous stating their never being caught, charged with the offenses, and being found guilty. This means given the period the murder could have been anyone and possibly still be alive today for example someone like your next-door neighbor and even possibly a U.S. Senator. One of the main things this killer is known for were his cryptic messages
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...